The reason I ask is because I used to keep my bicycle in the cellar, but it became a little of a hassle taking it out every morning and putting it in every evening.

I have started parking my bicycle in the carport, so its sheltered from rain and sun.

Silly question, but would this make any difference to the care of your bicycle?

When I used to live in Cape Town and very close to the beach, I was always told that the sea air increases the chances of rusting so it would be better to keep your cars parked in the garage opposed to out in the open.. im not sure how true this was though.

Living close to salt water means more salt in the air, which in turn will rust things quicker. Perfect (extreme) example: Friends have a townhouse in Bermagui (southern NSW) which is literally 100m or so from the beach. A BBQ wouldnt last 6 months on their deck, even the stainless steel ones rusted to buggery.

In the Garage. Old house they were under the house. I'm not leaving my bikes outside for security reasons and also for exposure reasons. Rain doesn't just fall down so even if it's under cover unless there are walls around its going to get wet (and spiders). If we didn't have a garage I'd have to work out where to keep them in the house.

Bike is kept under cover at work, locked in view of a camera inside a reasonably secure depot.

bychosis (bahy-koh-sis): A mental disorder of delusions indicating impaired contact with a reality of no bicycles.

The only time i ever brought my bicycle into the house was when i brought it in through our bedroom and accidentally got chain grease on our white curtains when the curtains brushed against the chain... lets just say my wife wasnt impressed with me

So do you think that leaving my bicycle in the sheltered carport will increase the likelihood of rusting? We are about 7kms from the beach

robbiepapenfus wrote:So do you think that leaving my bicycle in the sheltered carport will increase the likelihood of rusting? We are about 7kms from the beach

Short answer? Yes.

Long answer? Yes, but how much it increases the likelihood is debatable. Number of factors will come into play, including whether you are regularly downwind from the beach. best way to tell is have a look at anything else you may have outside that will show signs of exposure e.g. outdoor settings etc. At the end of the day giving it a regular decent clean will negate a reasonable percentage of the increased exposure to salt.

edit: inb4 someone pipes up with buy a carbon bike....

master6 wrote: Moderators are like Club Handicappers; I often think they are wrong, but I dont want the job.

I have a plastic painter's drop sheet on my bed. My bicycles take turns to sleep on the bed with me. The rest lean up in the hall outside my bedroom. My girlfriend keeps hinting that we should get a tandem but it would be too long to fit on the bed.

True to form of being a contrarian on this forum, I did differ from many of you guys.

I keep my bike locked securely up out the front of the house. Exposed to all the elements, the rain and the sun. This bike is my baby, my road bike, not my commuter. But it joins my commuter out the front. The simple fact is that it is convenient and the elements really do little/no harm to the bike. Most of the equipment is high quality so rust is not an issue. UV fading is unavoidable but is of little consequence unless you plan on keeping the same bike/tyres for 10 years.

Simply put my baby is tough and can survive the elements. The convenience is worth it for me.

Red Rider wrote:I am sure that if I left them outside they would rust....

A bike of decent quality really shouldn't be rusting. Even a bike of mediocre quality shouldn't present issues with a bit of rust.

It's the little bits that rust - hex-key bolts, chain, limit screws - and they'll do it rapidly if you expose the bike to the sea air. I live well away from the sea and have several bikes living out under the back verandah. They still get some rust issues and need regular checking and maintenance to minimise the effects.

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